Guide to the visit

What is the structure of the Park?

Parco Natura Viva is an important natural zoological garden situated in Bussolengo, halfway between Verona and Garda Lake. It covers about 40 hectares of land and it’s the house of 1.500 animals belong to over 200 wild species from all the world.

Parco Natura Viva has one of the most powerful zoological collections in Italy and, today, it’s an important Centre of conservation of endangered animal species and a great Centre of environmental education.

You can observe the great bio-diversity of our planet just in one day!

The Park is divided in two sections:

•Fauna Park, an extended pedestrian area, where You can walk near the animal’s paddock originating in the 5 continents of the world; here You can also visit the Tropical Green House, the Reptile House and the Extinction Park. In Fauna Park You could see the 90% of the species that live at Parco Natura Viva; the duration of the visit is different for every visitor, but we suggest You about 4 or 5 hours. We offer different services and You can take a break at one of the many rest stops.

•Safari Park is a fascinating route that you visit on board of your own vehicle. There is a different entrance for the Safari (inside Parco Natura Viva area). You’ll discover the habitat of African animals, and You could imagine to be in a real safari. The durations is about 40 minutes – there aren’t rest stops in it.

Parco Natura Viva’s ticket is unique, it includes both sections (Fauna Park and Safari Park), and You can buy it or at the Safari Park entrance or at Fauna Park ticket office. It’s a daily ticket.

You could choose what section You’ll want to visit first, but we suggest You to start from Fauna Park (pedestrian area) when there are too many people (You’ll see the long car’s tail at Safari Park entrance during holiday or weekend).

The parking area for visitors are P2 and P3 section, and You’ll pay 2,00 € for car and 5,00 € for camper. Parking P1 is reserved: to who have the membership card, to disabled, to bikes and buses, and it’s free only for these categories.

La tua visita passo passo

You can find the Park’s entrance at the roundabout in Località Quercia, along the Bussolengo’s Provincial Street 27. After the entrance’s flags You’ll find a fork in the road: on the left You’ll reach the parking area and the Fauna Park; on the right You’ll arrive at the entry and ticket-office of the Safari Park.

FAUNA PARK – PEDESTRIAN AREA

Once You parked your car, walk up to Fauna Park ticket-office: You could buy your ticket here (there’s only one ticket for both section of the Park-Fauna & Safari) or You could subscribe the annual membership.
In the square, in front of the ticket-office, You can see the Pippo’s statue: this hippopotamus was the first animal of the Park, since 1969, when Parco Natura Viva opened.
In front of the statue there’s the Natura Bazar Shop, that sells all stuff You need to visit the Park and also funny gadgets.

FAUNA’S ENTRY toward the SENTIERI D’AFRICA

Once You enter into the Park, the first step is to reach Sentieri d’Africa. At the first fork in the road, turn right, pass Flamingo’s paddock, the toilette and some rest stops (Simba Self and Frutteria Maromizaha). In front of You, You’ll see the Sentieri d’Africa’s gate.
Sentieri d’Africa is like a pedestrian safari. Here You’ll admire different species of African animals. In the first big paddock live together: hippos, rhino and some nyala antelopes. You could also glimpse cheetahs in the background.
Keeping on, You’ll find the lions and chimpanzees paddocks and then You’ll reach the Oasi Gombe, a rest stop in African style near the suricates area.

Proceed the visit walking on a little hill toward the paddocks of grivets, barbary macaques, springbok and sitatunga antelopes, and also the Aldabra giant tortoises.
After these paddocks You’ll arrived at the Madagascar’s entry. Here You could admire different species of lemur, including: ring-tailed lemur, the Alaotran gentle lemur, the red-bellied lemur and black lemur.

At halfway road You’ll find a circle path, the Oceania’s area, where live the particular Kea parrot, the cassowary, the emu, the wallaby, the black swan and other animals originating in Oceania.

When You’ll ended Oceania, You’ll return on the Madagascar’s path, and You’ll see the fossa, the vasa parrots and the area dedicated to Indri, the rare lemur that can’t live in zoos and this is why the Park works on the distant conservation’s and donation’s projects.
At the end of this path You’ll arrive, again, at Oasi Gombe: You’ll have to walk back through Sentieri d’Africa, passing in front of chimpanzees, lions and hippos paddocks.
When You’ll exit from Sentieri d’Africa, You could have a rest at Frutteria Maromizaha o at the pic-nic area Animaliadi, here there’s also a playground for your kids.
You could also have a lunch break at Simba self, the self-service restaurant of the Park. Once You’ll pass the Frutteria Maromizaha, turn left where the path going up.
Now you’re ready to continue the visit to Asia area (walk towards camels paddock).

ASIA – SOUTH AMERICA – EXTINCTION PARK

The first animals You’ll see, once You’ll arrive in the Asian area, are: Bactrian camels, red-crowned Cranes and then, walking on the wood’s bridge, red pandas and muntjak deers.
After the Przewalski’s horses, walk towards yurts and on the right you’ll find the first observatory (of three) to admire the two Siberian tigers. Once you’ll exit from this first observatory, turn right and walking up, you’ll find the other two observatories for tigers (on the right), the snow leopards paddock (on the left) and the antilopes on the right (immediately beyond tigers paddock).

At the end of the little climb, there are the great aviaries where live some raptors: the bearded vulture and the Egyptian Vulture. After the wood’s bridge, on the right You’ll see the Green-necked Peafowl and, on the left, You’ll find the Indian black vulture’s aviary.

The next step, upon the hill, is South America area. Here live squirrel monkeys, cotton-top tamarins and White-faced Sakis.
In front of Extinction Park entry, You could have a break at the picnic area (there are toilettes and vending machines).
When You see the Extinction Park’s sign, stay on the right: You’ll see the models in chronological order, from the first animal surfaced on the Earth, to first dinosaurs, until the “giants”, like Spinosaurus and T-Rex. The next models are the great mammals of the past, and, after the Indricotherium, You’ll find a little climb on the left that leads to Chelonia, the area of the Park dedicated to turtles and tortoises conservation.
Walking down You’ll arrive to the most recent extinctions and to the end of Extinction Park.

Once You’ll exit the Extinction Park, You will be in South America, again. Stay on the right e walk down from the hill, You’ll find the two-toed sloth, the ocelots and, straight on at the crossroads, live South American Coatis. At the end of this short path, go back and, at the crossroads, turn right: You’ll arrive to a corridor which You’ll admire the scarlet ibis and the little tamarins. On the right there’s the big area where live Spectacled Bears.
Next area is AMAZONAS: the huge aviary of Macaws. Here live 5 different species: Red-and green macaw, blue-and-yellow macaw, military macaw, the great green macaw and the Scarlet macaw.
The path goes down and, at the turn, there’s the Manas Fast Food area: here You can find toilettes, play area, picnic zone and the rest stop Manas.

TROPICAL GREENHOUSE, REPTILE HOUSE AND FARM

At the base of the hill enter into the Tropical GreenHouse: an amazing tour in a little cover rainforest, where live plants and animals like spectacled caimans, piranhas, bats, iguanas and many more. Inside of the Tropical GreenHouse there’s the entrance to the Reptile House, a ring path that let You admire, inside of their reptile tank, lizards, snakes, insects and many more.

Once You’ll exit (You can choose the “tropical greenhouse” side or the “reptile House” side) You ‘ll see the Aldabra Giant Tortoises, that live in a big field with a glass house for the most cold days. Near this area there’s a great deviation: follow the arrows to go to tapirs, mongooses and kookaburra. Next stop is the FARM: You can enter in this area and meet the different species of domestic animals: goats, pigs, alpacas, Highland cattles and other animals. Pass the farm and on the left You’ll see the Maned Wolf’s area.

EUROPE – BOREALIA

Now You will see the directions to the Europe’s path: a way that permits You to see, in a wonderful oak’s wood context, the areas of: wild cat, Eurasian lynx, grey wolf, Mouflon and Mesopotamian Fallow Deer.
At the end of the path stay on the right at the crossroads: You will enter in Borealia, the area dedicated to the animals from cold countries. Here You could see the Snowy Owl, the Siberian eagle owl, reindeers and a picnic area under olive trees. Going down on the path You will find the European bison’s area. This species is important for the Park because we are involved, personally, in the Conservation Project to reintroduce it into nature.
You can also see the aviary of: the Ural Owl, the griffon vulture and the northern Bald ibis.
A small pond hosts different amphibious and reptiles european species.

Returning on the entrance of the Fauna Park You could admire the Greater Flamingos and, if You want, proceed to the Fauna Park’s exit, on the right.